Frederick Futchko

Frederick (Fred) Futchko, 91, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at Messiah Lifeways, Mechanicsburg, PA, with family by his side.

He was born December 22, 1933, in Shamokin, PA. Fred was a member of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Ukrainian Church where he served as an altar boy. He graduated in 1951 from Shamokin High School (SHS) where he lettered all four years on the wrestling team. He was a three-time District Four Wrestling Champion, compiling a 38-4-1 record. Fred also was a mentor to many young wrestlers (especially his successful younger cousins, Tommy and Joe Thompson), devoting his time as an instructor at the SHS Varsity Club Wrestling Program.

A man of great intelligence, Fred attended Rutgers University on a wrestling scholarship and graduated in 1955 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He was on the wrestling team all four years and only lost five matches. He also was Captain of the team his junior and senior years. As a senior, he took third place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships and received the Rutgers Outstanding Wrestler Award. While at Rutgers, he was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and, upon graduation, he received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

In June of 1955, he joined Gannett Fleming, Inc., Camp Hill, PA, a consulting engineering firm, as a Civil Engineer in the Dam and Flood Control Section. Fred was the Senior Project Manager overseeing numerous projects including the Tioga-Hammond Lakes Dam—a major project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a Registered Professional Engineer, he became a partner in the firm and retired after 45 years.

His professional career was interrupted by a two-year tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force. During his time there, he was on the Air Force Wrestling team while also trying out for the 1956 Olympics. As a second generation American, he was proud to have served his country.

He was a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, the Harrisburg Beagle Club, and the Yellow Breeches Anglers and Conservation Association. Fred enjoyed traveling the world with his wife, Lucille whom he married in 1968. He was an avid fisherman and hunter. His hobbies included tying flies, reading and playing bridge, as well as following collegiate and professional wrestling, baseball and football. His favorite teams were Rutgers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Philadelphia Eagles and, of course, Penn State. Whenever anyone would visit him, he loved to talk about his engineering career – constructing dams and the challenges he faced. He also had a large library of scientific, engineering and nature books – most of which have been donated to local libraries in his name.

He was preceded in death by his parents Andrew and Olga (Slota) Futchko; his wife, Lucille (Kurtz) Futchko; sisters, Pauline Bogdan and Dolores (Honey) Blosick; brothers Alex, Walter and Johnny Futchko; and nephews, Gregory Blosick, David Bogdan and Mark Bogdan.

He is survived by his nephew Peter Bogdan (Debbie) of Hernando, MS; and nieces, Barbara Stetler (Michael) of Mechanicsburg, PA; Cheryl Murray (Dan) of Lebanon, PA; and Kathleen Feest (Terry) of Bristol, England; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Services are Saturday, September 6, at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 3435 Trindle Rd., Camp Hill, PA 17011, with Visitation at 9 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Committal services will follow at 1:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Slovak Catholic Cemetery (next to St. Edward's Cemetery), Coal Township (Shamokin), PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Good Shepherd Catholic Church; or you can make a donation to a nature/animal-related charity or plant a tree in his honor. Fred’s family would also like to thank Messiah Lifeways’ staff for the kindness, support and compassionate care he received over the years.